This video touches on the subject of big business’s effect on small businesses. On her show Full Focus, Gloria Penner discusses the rising popularity of “big box” businesses putting the small business owners out of business. In the beginning of the video, Gloria focuses on a small donut shop, Crispy’s Donuts, in San Diego. It is located in a shopping center along with other big named businesses such as Panda Express. Five months ago, she received a notice from the owner of the shopping center, Pat Donohue. The notice stated that Crispy’s Donuts was not producing enough income to keep up with the other stores in the shopping center. It also stated that each store in the shopping center is required to make, within a year, $400 per square foot. According to the owner, this would translate to them making $400,000 a year which is seemingly impossible for a small, family run, donut shop. The owner is sure that there are other businesses in the center that don’t reach their required amount but they get no pressure because they are stores that make the shopping center look good. Donohue offered to have Crispy’s Donuts relocated to another shopping center but the owner refuses because she feels that they will make her pay the rent for the store at another location and then kick her out when they feel they don’t need her anymore. Guests on her program included Steve Padilla, Mayor of Chula Vista in California, Deanne Buller of the La Mesa Village Merchants Association, and Scott Kessler from the Business Improvement District Council. Each was asked their thoughts about bigger businesses in their towns driving out smaller mom and pop stores. Each feels that the small businesses bring character to their respective communities and that it is a shame that places like Costco or Wal-Mart are putting stores out of business. Places like these offer to their consumers a one-stop-shop where they can get their film developed and get a carton of milk in the same spot. They have tried to have community events to stimulate the public interest back into their small businesses. They all do what they can but the fact of it all is that people will shop where they feel is most appealing to them and their lifestyle.
The following is a link to the video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4589982517363625063&q=big+business+versus+small+business&total=123&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=2
1 comment:
I didn't think that shopping centers could do this!! It seems very unfair to the owner of Crispy's Donuts. I wonder how legal this is. It makes me wonder if this has happened in the city of Syracuse. I think that we need to look to see if this does go on around here. I wonder if this was part of the reason that the movie theater closed. Or was it just the fact that they weren't making enough money to support themselves. WHat are the owners doing now? Do the people in the city like having to go to the mall and see the movie or did they like the feel that the small theater had?
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